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7680 The Twilight Review.

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Set: 7680 - The Twilight

Theme: Star Wars

Year Released: 2008

Piece Count: 882

Price: $AUD149.99 (or $159.99 if you buy at TRU!), 99.99 Euro, $US99.99

Pity the Twilight. When rumours of the set name first circulated, speculation was swift: 'Twilight - that suggests something sleek, elegant and mysterious.' Anticipation mounted! Fan-frenzy grew! Finally a pic leaked! And the verdict was... 'clunk-a-dunk' :tongue: It appeared that in the Jedi off-season, Anakin was running something that looked like an intergalactic garbage scow, like Roger Wilco in the old Sierra Space Quest PC games. Blocky and bley seemed to sum it up. The set went from being one of the most anticipated to one of the least liked of 2008 pretty much instantly. It's a mark of that dislike that in the EB Clone Wars review feeding frenzy nobody has so far even bothered to post a few pics of this set even 2 weeks after it's official release! I'm here to redress that imbalance now and find out if 7680 is as horrendous as everyone originally thought :wink:

Part 1: Box & Parts

Front of the box. It's quite big, same size as the 10144 Sandcrawler. Annoyingly, it's the old style with the perforated corners that you have to tear to flip open the lid.

a-boxfront.jpg

Detail of the back, showing set functions:

a-boxgback.jpg

Interior of the box - a lot of wasted space. The set comes with 2 instruction manuals, each 76 pages. And no DSS sheet!

a-boxinterior.jpg

Polybags! 13 of 'em. Like the other CW sets, these are unnumbered.

a-polybags.jpg

Parts ahoy! You can tell at a glance that this set is comparable to the AT-TE, although there a large proportion of the 800+ parts here are technic pins and bley plates.

a-polybagsopened.jpg

Part 2: Minifigs and Build

The set comes with 4 figs (or 3.5, depending on how you look at Rotta :wink:): Anakin, Ahsoka, R2-D2 and Rotta. Very disappointing that there's nothing new here for such a high-priced exclusive, although I guess it is maybe movie accurate. Anyway, to paraphrase the wise Patsy Stone, you can never have enough hats, shoes or new Anakin/ Ahsoka hairpieces so it's not too bad.

Pics of the build in progress. A quarter of the way through we can already see that this is one of those 'convoluted technic frames with some plates affixed' type builds:

b-build-a-quarter.jpg

Half-way and the smaller wing is added:

b-build-b-half.jpg

At the three quarter mark the giant single wing is added:

b-build-c-threequarters.jpg

And voila! Done! The final quarter is a race to attach all the exterior surfaces and details such as the engine and escape pod.

b-build-d-done.jpg

The build itself is a mixed blessing. It is VERY technic oriented. I'm not a Technic-ally minded person and don't really have much of a conceptual grasp of how everything functions until I see the final result, so I find these type of builds a little uninteresting. Pins, axles and beams? Give me bricks any day! I really liked the 7676 Gunship and the 7679 Fighter Tank although they do contain some technic framework, they are largely brick-built ships, especially the Fighter Tank which is solid, largely brick built and full of neat functions. The 7680 build is one of the most technicy builds I've ever undergone in a System set, akin to the experience of building the 10178 Motorised AT-AT. But whereas with that set you could understand the need for a technic framework (the thing walks!) a lot of this seemed excessive. Yes, the Twilight does some have nice functions, and it is so large and heavy it does need a strong skeleton, but to me it just seemed too much and aesthetics have been sacrificed for (in some cases limited) functionality. I will discuss in more detail what I mean as I look at different parts of the set.

On the upside, this is the only non-symmetric set in the CW range, so at least every page and new step brings something different!

Part 3: A Closer View

Close-up of the main body of the ship:

d-done-closeupbody.jpg

Front-on. It is well-designed how the figs appear in line of sight (unlike the 6211 where Jabba and Leia were photoshopped in to the box art). Don't ask what Rotta is doing out of the line of vision there. Some things are better left unsaid.

c-cockpitone.jpg

Side view, showing escape pod (smaller cylinder) and drive:

c-done-sideview.jpg

Top view:

c-donetopview.jpg

Rear view, showing back door. The rear deck is huge.

c-done-rearview.jpg

Indeed, the whole ship is huge. Oddly so. I don't know if this is movie-scale or not, but I've seen people complain the fighter tank is too big (!) and that set is nothing compared to this baby! It's wider than the Gunship and in wingspan and length is almost bigger. Here's a few pics next to an MTT for comparison.

t-sizecomparison.jpg

t-sizecomparisontop.jpg

Pretty big, hey? Turning to the dark side must be good for business. Even if all you can buy is a rusty old beast like this, at least you could comfortably squash pretty much every vehicle in the opposing fleet just by landing on it. At least now you can see why it costs so much. The official pics make it look smaller, somehow, by truncating the rear and wing.

The ship is in fact so big you can't really pose it with wings open - only hold it that way. I was too lazy to build a giant trans-clear support strut so propped it up on a shoebox instead. The wing opens very neatly - you push a technic lever and a pin holding the bottom wing pops out quite smoothly. The little top turret can move up and down as well to get the full cross-shaped effect.

f-opened2.jpg

f-opened3.jpg

Part 4: Features and Functions

The front cockpit folds down very neatly, although I find the build here a little weak.

e-cockpit2.jpg

Whee! It goes all the way down to the floor. The mechanism is cool, but it takes up an awful lot of space. Basically the whole front is cockpit and all Lego could manage for controls is 2 printed 1x2 tiles as well :tongue: (not pictured here, but they're attached to the part that folds up and down). There's also no way for anyone to get in or out of the cockpit. And an invisible windscreen! Technology has come a long way.

e-cockpitfullyextended.jpg

Side view, looking from wing. R2D2 is here as well as some tools. You can also glimpse here one of the main problems with the set. Despite being a huge boxy ship, there's no interior! None! The Twilight doesn't even have an internal floor. All the room inside is taken up by the landing gear which folds up - again, a clever function but it really gets in the way of the set as a whole. Kudos to the designer for coming up with stable, working landing gear, but too clever by half if it means that this giant ship ends up basically being one tiny cockpit and a rear door at the back that doesn't lead to any interior!

g-toptowerdroidrevealed.jpg

Underside showing landing gear when open:

f-landingopencloser.jpg

And closed - when the wing is folded down, the gear is locked in place, which is pretty neat. Space-consuming, but neat.

f-landingclosed.jpg

The rear section. The door, when opened, reveals an orange cupboard and a tow-line, as Ahsoka uses in the box art. The door clicks into place when open and can be released by pressing the technic bit at the top. Again, clever, but pointless as you can't get inside!

c-done-reardooropen.jpg

c-done-reardoorclosed.jpg

Ahsoka can indulge in a little recreational bungee-jumping if she so wishes:

z-bungee.jpg

The rear deck is so large that it is wasted just being used so Ahsoka can bungee-jump. I came up with a much better use for it.

l-garden.jpg

Outdoor garden!

l-garden2.jpg

Despite having one roboticised hand, Anakin was still quite the green thumb. And his light-saber was very useful as a hedge trimmer. So much so that he set up a side business between Rotta-rescue missions. Here's a promotional postcard:

l-gardenpost.jpg

A few other bits and pieces. The gun turret on the enormous mega-wing can only hold one flick fire missile at a time (you do get two, though :wink:)

c-wingflickfiremissile.jpg

Rear engine detail:

spotlight.jpg

The escape pod sits neatly on the side and is basically built the same way as the Gunship bacta tank:

d-escapepodclosed.jpg

d-escapepodopen.jpg

The pod sits on these tehcnic pins and is held in place by the light bley parts:

d-done-closeupescapepodremo.jpg

Part 5: In conclusion

The Twilight is a huge ship, with a huge amount of great functions - folding wing, folding cockpit, rear door, escape pod, retractable landing gear! But this functionality comes at a price - a very complex technic build and zip interior. Compared with the Gunship, for example, which is stuffed with nooks and crannies, the Twilight suffers in this respect. I also think it is just too large - it doesn't really fit with the other craft and vehicles released with the Clone Wars line. I may be wrong and it is movie-accurate, but when you have all the CW sets laid out it does stick out like a poor thumb. Part selection is OK, with the only interesting things being a few dark orange plates, the orange cupboard and the big trans-neon green radar dish.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is a bad set at all. It's just the other CW sets are so sweet! :tongue: I would say it's an above average set in a field crammed with excellent ones. If you're a completist, buy it, but if for example you'd rather invest in another AT-TE to upgrade your Republic Army, then I couldn't really disagree with you either :wink:

And to finish on a light note, I'd like to remind you that you do get another Ahsoka hairpiece, which can be used for all sorts of things.

Ugha warrior upgrade:

z-ugha.jpg

Dr Inferno hair transplant:

z-makeover.jpg

And finally, attack of the deadly blue-ringed octopus, native to Australia's beaches and oceans!

z-facehuggerone.jpg

z-facehuggerhugged.jpg

Thanks for reading! :wink:

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Another outstanding review by the "awesome set reviewer"! :wink:

I enjoyed reading this review very much and I felt that you have redress Twilight in an approriate manner. I have very mixed feeling about this set especially with its design. It seemed I will need to watch the Clone Wars movie in the theatre before I compared with it. Most of the time, when this LEGO set is used in a movie, you will tend to compare it and what is the actual purpose for Twilight, same as the rest of the SW vehicles and aircraft.

For a high price like this, I can actually top up a little more and get the AT-TE, with the same batch of minifigs plus Commander Rex. If there is a special figure such as the V19 Torrent (Clone Pliot), it will be a much ideal scenario.

At the moment, I have not bring in any Clone War sets into my collection, and I am quite sure Twilight is not in my priority list especially when I am not a full-pledged Star War collectors or I have strong intentions to complete the entire range in this recent release. Therefore, I need to prioritise my purchase, and likely to get two RGS, since that is my favourite ship in Clone War era. :wub:

I am not comparing it with RGS. Both sets defintely have their pros and cons.

Oh, I love that postcard you made. Certainly looks very nice! :sweet:

svelte_corps, thanks for doing up this superb detailed review which had given "Twilight" the neccessary attention it should have.

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Really awesome review svelte_corps :thumbup::thumbup: . You did a really complete and in-depth review of this beast and with your nice pics is really enjoyable reading your review, so congrats :thumbup: . I like this ship even if it looks so bulky but I need to buy first other sets, so maybe this beast will be landing in my collection the next year (Or this one if I am lucky :wink::tongue::laugh: ). I can just ask for something, can you post a pic of all your clone wars sets together with this one (all the sets in one pic, not many pics with this an each set :laugh: ) please :sweet: .

Edited by darkrebellion

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I like this ship even if it looks so bulky but I need to buy first other sets, so maybe this beast will be landing in my collection the next year (Or this one if I am lucky :wink::tongue::laugh: ). I can just ask for something, can you post a pic of all your clone wars sets together with this one (all the sets in one pic, not many pics with this an each set :laugh: ) please :sweet: .

I think a lot of people feel the same way - there was so much good stuff to get in the first wave that this is probably a backburner set for a lot of people, and some are probably waiting to see the movie to see how prominently it features.

I will try and take a pic with some other CW sets, I don't have all of them though and some need to be reassembled as I built them on holiday and then had to pack them away :wink: I do think this line of sets has been the best SW Lego wave released though. All of the recent releases have been amazing in their own way.

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Thanks for the review. Now I thinnk I will buy this set. BTW, I really like what you did to the back. I might do the same to mine....

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Wow certainly much bigger than I would have thought, thanks for the great review and pictures =] Well for some reason i was drawn to this set, but with the lack of interior and quite a bit of technics, i think I'll pass, or at least get the At-te first! Thanks again!

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I read the Visual Guide recently and learned a bit more about the Twilight. I won't get into spoilers but it seems that the ship becomes a sort of endearing family van for the characters which is neat. Big bulky, uncool, but it gets you from one place to another. If it factors into more than just the 90 minute film, I may pick this up. It seems that there's room for a lot of personality in this ship once you see the film. It is a Corellian freighter smuggling spice for the Hutts. That's cool right?

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I read the Visual Guide recently and learned a bit more about the Twilight. I won't get into spoilers but it seems that the ship becomes a sort of endearing family van for the characters which is neat. Big bulky, uncool, but it gets you from one place to another. If it factors into more than just the 90 minute film, I may pick this up. It seems that there's room for a lot of personality in this ship once you see the film. It is a Corellian freighter smuggling spice for the Hutts. That's cool right?

Lol the Minivan of the Galaxy =] What a selling point :tongue:

If i am really impressed with it in the film i suppose that would change things, but i will have to see =]

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This is probably the best review I've ever seen. Why?

It put the set in context with people's changing thoughts about it.

It commented on the box, why do such expensive sets have such ordinary boxes?

The photography was outstanding.

Every issue that a builder could have with it was discussed in a calm and rational manner.

I have the same issues with technic structured sets, and svelte_corps summed up my feelings on this beautifully.

This was an even handed review, so thoughtful.

Finally, you gotta love a bit of humour in a review, that gardenis brilliant.

I was probably never going to get this set anyway but it sets a new world's best standard for reviews. I strongly encourage anyone that's going to review a set to have a good look at this to see how well it can be done.

Thanks for the magnificent review!

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Oh no! *oh2* Anakin has gone over to the green side of the force! :laugh:

Well, I guess someone had to review the Clunkadunk eventually. :grin: And you did a good job at it, svelte corps! :thumbup: I liked the punchline with the Ahsoka-hairpiece swapping. The "Ugha warrior upgrade" is an interesting way of creating male Togrutas. :oh: And Ahsoka looks even hotter with Inferno's hair! :wub:

If i am really impressed with it in the film i suppose that would change things, but i will have to see =]

I wouldn't count on it. :wink:

After its first flight, the Twilight will crash and burn!

:devil: Wookieepedia says so, and you can see it in one of the trailers. So, I guess the Twilight will stay mostly unbought. Poor Clunkadunk. :cry_sad:

:tongue:

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Thanks a lot for a very nice and entertaining review! Your photos were really nice and there have been some reviews lately that have such blurry pics... cough.. cough... it was a pleasure to see you can 1. put lego bricks together 2. write a review 3. handle your camera! :laugh:

I think this ship is underrated, it is really nice! I love the playing features like landing gear and back door, perhaps just cause I had to get along with so called landing gears in the past, that did not work at all (7140 for example..). And I simply LOVE that there is space inside. You said there is not really some cause of the landing gear mechanism, but it seems it should be easily fixed. Do you think there is enough space to put some plates over the landing gear and add some beds, kitchen und TV? I think this set is so perfect to mod it into a Clone Wars mobile home, your back garden ist just perfect for this. I prefer this over the AT-TE and over a 2nd gunship! Thanks a lot for the review!

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And I simply LOVE that there is space inside. You said there is not really some cause of the landing gear mechanism, but it seems it should be easily fixed. Do you think there is enough space to put some plates over the landing gear and add some beds, kitchen und TV? I think this set is so perfect to mod it into a Clone Wars mobile home, your back garden ist just perfect for this.

It does have that homely feel! There is room inside with technic beams to lay plates etc on, the only issue is that it's kind of fiddly to access. You could do it from either the side door or rear door though, maybe move that tow line at the back. I have to say, it is a set that grows on you :wink:

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Thank you svelte_corps for the review!

I like the inside, nice and cosey!

I also like your little garden!

For me, this put the twilight different in a better perspective than my first perspective of the twilight.

I voted outstanding.

Greets The-Force!

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I will not be picking this one up. The main thing is that it simply looks akward. It is big and bulky, and seems to have random pieces on it with not reall streamline feel to it. I also agree that for an exclusive that it $100, it needs more than just 3.5 mini figures. Anikan and Ashoka and Rotta already come in the AT-TE, which is cheaper and has more figures. R2-D2 is a figure that I am sure everybody has at least 4 or 5 of. For that kind of money, I expect something with at least one unique figure, and more than 4. I also want just a cleaner and better designed set. This is probably the letdown of the collection so far. Every collection needs one.

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Seems like TLC has done a pretty accurate representation of the ship. The real fault for the ship's messy design has to go to Lucasfilm, not TLC. My guess is Lucasfilm is trying to recapture that "what a piece of junk!" magic of the Millennium Falcon. I guess we'll have to wait to see the movie to see if they succeeded or not.

The idea of a "space mobile home" reminds me of the Winnebago from "Spaceballs."

Great review!! Informative, entertaining, and opinionated. So many people shy away from stating an actual OPINION in their review for fear of offending anyone. What's the point of making a review if you don't state what you think about it???

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f-opened2.jpg

Hmm... Dior. I can smell it now :laugh:

The ship doesn't look too swooshable (but, then again, more than the heavy RGS)

I really like that review Svelte Corps! So much detail! :thumbup:

Unfortunately I would only get this if it was a very low price, like in a sale. :cry_sad:

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Thanks for yet another awesome review. :thumbup:

Seems like TLC has done a pretty accurate representation of the ship. The real fault for the ship's messy design has to go to Lucasfilm, not TLC. My guess is Lucasfilm is trying to recapture that "what a piece of junk!" magic of the Millennium Falcon. I guess we'll have to wait to see the movie to see if they succeeded or not.

This sums up my opinion exactly. I can easily admit that the design of the kit is spot on - but unfortunately, the actual design of the ship in the new movie is garbage. :sick:

Actually, despite the Millennium Falcon's odd design, I really think it's a pretty appealing ship - and its really cool! I can't say the same for the Twilight, though. :sadnew:

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Seems like TLC has done a pretty accurate representation of the ship. The real fault for the ship's messy design has to go to Lucasfilm, not TLC. My guess is Lucasfilm is trying to recapture that "what a piece of junk!" magic of the Millennium Falcon. I guess we'll have to wait to see the movie to see if they succeeded or not.

The idea of a "space mobile home" reminds me of the Winnebago from "Spaceballs."

Great review!! Informative, entertaining, and opinionated. So many people shy away from stating an actual OPINION in their review for fear of offending anyone. What's the point of making a review if you don't state what you think about it???

Nice!

Its $99 = £52, but our price is £80-90!

That Ugha Warrior looks like Man Friday from Robinson Crusoe!:

crusoe2.jpg

EDIT: Also I am going to use that Wing technique for WW2 Mocs! Its perfect!

Edited by Joey Lock

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I think some people agree that this ship is better than when we first saw those pictures, at least I do. It looks like it has some nice accessories that come with the ship as well. My favorite of you custom things has got to be the octopus it's so funny and a great use for the headdress thing. Great review. :thumbup:

Edited by Skipper 24

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Looks fine... but still that designs quite a downer. :sceptic:

But look at that wing design!

c-donetopview.jpg

Its lovely! Looks exactly like the B-29 Bombers wings look like. :wub:

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Thanks for the review.

I for one will get this set. I collect and therefore I need it.

I vision something like this:

A: I buy the set

B: I built the set

C: Pics for my BS account

D: Set taken apart.

:sceptic:

Sad, but true. It's not much, but super for parts. :thumbup:

I agree (from what your review showed me) that this set is a little too much technic. A thing that's been invading our beloved brick built sets in the past years. :thumbdown: I really have no need for a retractable front or functioning landing gear. What I need is a kick-megablocks ship with neat design and cool interior. The Twilight does not offer that.

"Look at the size of that thing"

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Oh no! *oh2* Anakin has gone over to the green side of the force! :laugh:

Not the green side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cry_sad:

Looks like a good source of grey panels, and a cool headpiece. Nothing more.

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Good review there! My daughter loves the backyard garden of the Twilight :classic:

My opinion of the ship has changed after reading this, thanks!

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Part 3: A Closer View[/b]

Close-up of the main body of the ship:

d-done-closeupbody.jpg

Front-on. It is well-designed how the figs appear in line of sight (unlike the 6211 where Jabba and Leia were photoshopped in to the box art). Don't ask what Rotta is doing out of the line of vision there. Some things are better left unsaid.

Rotta: Can I get on your knee to look outside?

Anakin: No!

Rotta: Can I pull this lever?

Anakin: Don't touch it!

Rotta: I want to drive!

Anakin: If your not quitting I will get you back to that mean white woman.

Rotta: I need a clean diaper!

Anakin: Ashoka, Get of the toilet! It's my turn to get some rest.

Ashoka: I thought I would become a padawan, not a babysitter!

[The rear deck is so large that it is wasted just being used so Ahsoka can bungee-jump. I came up with a much better use for it.

l-garden.jpg

Outdoor garden!

l-garden2.jpg

Despite having one roboticised hand, Anakin was still quite the green thumb. And his light-saber was very useful as a hedge trimmer. So much so that he set up a side business between Rotta-rescue missions. Here's a promotional postcard:

l-gardenpost.jpg

And to finish on a light note, I'd like to remind you that you do get another Ahsoka hairpiece, which can be used for all sorts of things.

Ugha warrior upgrade:

z-ugha.jpg

Dr Inferno hair transplant:

z-makeover.jpg

And finally, attack of the deadly blue-ringed octopus, native to Australia's beaches and oceans!

z-facehuggerone.jpg

z-facehuggerhugged.jpg

Thanks for reading! :wink:

LOL,

the garden would be lovely to see in Gardeners World. Never thought Patrick Star also liked gardening.

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